tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922781242414776510Tue, 07 Oct 2014 02:00:01 +0000Wide OpenThis is about my life and what I am up to. Generally I am Wide Open all the time, and wouldn't want it any other way.http://christopherherndon.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Christopher Herndon)Blogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922781242414776510.post-3715505750871788755Sun, 17 Jan 2010 22:26:00 +00002010-01-17T17:45:13.383-05:00Greenville SC PumptrackJust before Christmas I built a pump track for a great family in Greenville SC. Good friend Danny Cesare helped and we completed it by hand in just 2.5 days. Here are some pics.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-i3HqrsBSAI/S1OSswRIjPI/AAAAAAAAAEs/p62zLOc55As/s1600-h/P1000455.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-i3HqrsBSAI/S1OSswRIjPI/AAAAAAAAAEs/p62zLOc55As/s400/P1000455.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427843273480244466" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-i3HqrsBSAI/S1ORAG3VG7I/AAAAAAAAAEc/u9uA9YSrHSM/s1600-h/P1000454.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-i3HqrsBSAI/S1ORAG3VG7I/AAAAAAAAAEc/u9uA9YSrHSM/s400/P1000454.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427841406940289970" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-i3HqrsBSAI/S1OR0l1ro5I/AAAAAAAAAEk/S-70-lJR3yA/s1600-h/P1000457.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-i3HqrsBSAI/S1OR0l1ro5I/AAAAAAAAAEk/S-70-lJR3yA/s400/P1000457.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427842308608074642" border="0" /></a>http://christopherherndon.blogspot.com/2010/01/greenville-sc-pumptrack.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christopher Herndon)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922781242414776510.post-896259414879235939Thu, 16 Apr 2009 23:07:00 +00002009-04-16T19:13:58.878-04:00The "Rough" Life<div>Thought I would show you guys the view from Curtis' balcony. It's pretty rough out here, Sunny and 70 degrees.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325430483275293426" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-i3HqrsBSAI/See6zyepIvI/AAAAAAAAADo/GFuu1ZisHic/s400/P1000387.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325430926805659458" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-i3HqrsBSAI/See7Nmwhb0I/AAAAAAAAADw/-wSXs1kVOXM/s400/P1000388.JPG" border="0" /></div>http://christopherherndon.blogspot.com/2009/04/rough-life.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christopher Herndon)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922781242414776510.post-9080017659234551994Tue, 14 Apr 2009 04:48:00 +00002009-04-14T00:53:38.433-04:00Clemson PicSo this is the jump before the bridge that took me out last year when I dislocated my shoulder. Last year I was trying to scrub off of it and it went terribly bad. I had my revenge this year. Thanks to Brad Allen for the great pic. <div> </div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324405560560625938" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-i3HqrsBSAI/SeQWpb1UqRI/AAAAAAAAADg/9mZVPeAMr_8/s400/Clemson+2009.jpg" border="0" /></div>http://christopherherndon.blogspot.com/2009/04/clemson-pic.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christopher Herndon)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922781242414776510.post-5275014933479598774Tue, 14 Apr 2009 04:33:00 +00002009-04-14T00:40:13.304-04:00That time of yearHey Everybody, I been a little slack updating this thing. Some pretty fun stuff has happened and some not so fun stuff. The not so fun stuff is I busted my knees up really bad riding moto. The good news is I am back on my bike and currently in California for the Sea Otter Classic. I haven't been on my bike much (10 rides in 2009) but had a great ride Sunday with the Specialized boys in Santa Cruz. My slalom bike got hooked up today and I am ready to go for it at Sea Otter. Heading to Santa Cruz tomorrow to stay with Curtis Keene until the race. Hopefully some pictures to come.http://christopherherndon.blogspot.com/2009/04/that-time-of-year.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christopher Herndon)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922781242414776510.post-8358133715571537632Thu, 06 Nov 2008 03:03:00 +00002008-11-05T22:23:13.488-05:00Dirt JumpsSo I got the call from Geritt at Morewood Bikes that it was finally time to build some jumps. He told me he had a machine on their property and had managed to make a huge mess and needed some help. Well in the end they turned out a little bigger than we had planned, but that isn't always a bad thing. The wood is because they got a little over watered and we just couldn't wait to try them. Another few days and it should be all dirt. Here's the vids<br /><p><iframe allowFullScreen='true' webkitallowfullscreen='true' mozallowfullscreen='true' width='401' height='302' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy1K_eQ1yKkP-IKd1y4LgDZs0A5lWezYor5yMBAOFhM74HUVucvW3ZiuoMLXpNwJWaqTRWZP8_Bug7wP9CJ8g' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' FRAMEBORDER='0' /></p><p> </p><p><iframe allowFullScreen='true' webkitallowfullscreen='true' mozallowfullscreen='true' width='402' height='312' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwbPn7-LI44vM-kxyAO4Oi-0E7476KcJGR7EHMQ6MIkrG4kAmGtBqkfeYRPMJvfoGTFa3ThrMOkzeHKkmE5sg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' FRAMEBORDER='0' /></p><p>And a little perspective, the center of the jumps aren't even full depth and I am actually on a low jump through the section here.</p><p><iframe allowFullScreen='true' webkitallowfullscreen='true' mozallowfullscreen='true' width='401' height='300' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxCJYZvsDhXZFSuaGKLgmnOanQ3dlBUDwIPCE6j0xZKjmCG1DIrOcK96XpVdYTG88rBuea0ohtnx5XV3ZHnWg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' FRAMEBORDER='0' /></p><p>So by the end of the day we ended up hitting the 3rd set. Took a little work to get the landing good but it is now by far the most fun jump. The best part is this is only the begining!!!</p>http://christopherherndon.blogspot.com/2008/11/dirt-jumps.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christopher Herndon)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922781242414776510.post-6239552398190510859Wed, 29 Oct 2008 02:21:00 +00002008-10-28T22:26:41.844-04:00The ride from Utah to Vegas<div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-i3HqrsBSAI/SQfJLzt87OI/AAAAAAAAACo/XSUAZJKNkP0/s1600-h/P1000346.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262395894304402658" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-i3HqrsBSAI/SQfJLzt87OI/AAAAAAAAACo/XSUAZJKNkP0/s400/P1000346.JPG" border="0" /></a> This was Cody and my spot for the 7 hour drive. We each took a 3.5 hour shift. here is the view from the front <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262396509066831522" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-i3HqrsBSAI/SQfJvl4vJqI/AAAAAAAAACw/7YNBGoxVP60/s400/P1000347.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><div></div></div>http://christopherherndon.blogspot.com/2008/10/ride-from-utah-to-vegas.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christopher Herndon)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922781242414776510.post-9034273829798774508Wed, 29 Oct 2008 02:20:00 +00002008-10-28T22:21:22.489-04:00Collegiate National ChampsSo this past weekend I opted out of a race I have been working towards for many years, the Jeep 48straight finals. Instead I attended the 2008 Collegiate National Champs. Years ago I raced in college and it has forever made an impression on my life and my racing career.<br /><br />This year I have been helping out the Brevard College Cycling team. It is a new team with this being only it's second full season. Last year I was involved, but with this being it's second year I new most of the racers on a more personal level. It is not even that I really coach any of the kids, more we just ride together. Naturally we talk about riding and it seems that they get something from this. Something different than being coached, something better, and for me it is something I can't describe. Winning used to be everything, and don't get me wrong as a racer I still want to win. But now I have found something that meens as much to me and most of the time more, and that is seeing someone else enjoy what I have experienced through my many years of racing. Whether it is a first win, or first big loss, or just riding something that they never saw possible before. These are the things that have formed me into the person that I am today and it is amazing to watch others experience these things.<br /><br />On to the racing...The races were held in Banner Elk, NC and were hosted by Lees-McRae College. The weather, well for anyone that has ever raced at Sugar Mountain you know it always rains and this weekend was no exception. We had Months of good weather leading up to this event and even the day prior to the first race we had 65 degrees and sunny. Friday moring we were up at 5 am and out the door at 6:30 with still over an hour of darkness before the sun finally came up. It was XC day, and the boys needed to be on the bikes in the dark just to get a proper warm up before the early morning start. And as the day broke the rain started to fall, 48 degrees and raining and it was race day. If there is one thing BC has it is a strong XC team. Returning from a silver medal last year was Tristan Cowie and all he wanted was the win. A mishap off the start put all but Tristan at the back of the pack. The boys charged on but it is hard to start from such a deficit. Tristan was in second for most of the race but on the last lap put in a massive attack and ended up winning by a few minutes. Next off were the women, with only two at Nationals they knew they had their work cut out for them. Both had great starts and we ended up with a 5th and a 7th.<br /><br />Friday afternoon was DH seeding run and I was supposed to do a Team America course walk and a little bit of coaching. It was set for 1:30 and when I arrived at the top of the mountain visiblity was less than 100 feet and I couldn't even open the door to my truck because the wind was blowing so hard. After a long cold wait at the top of the moutnain the seeding run was called off and we could all go get out of the weather and warm up.<br /><br />Saturday was another early morning with Short Track XC, this time it was the womens turn to be up early and on the bike. It went well with a 5th and a 8th place finish. Next up were the men and Tristan had a mission again and that was to win. I had my doubts with the effort he had put in less than 24 hours earlier. A Union College rider was off the front early but Tristan looked calm. He laid down a attack to bridge back to the leader and then sat on his wheel for a couple of laps looking completely blown, that is except when he gave a little smile every time he passed by us. Then came the attack of all attacks. It was perfect. Tristan knew the other riders weekness and at the perfect moment he went and by went I meen he was gone. In just a lap he put over 30 seconds into the former leader and ended up holding on to the win.<br /><br />Finally on to the gravity events. Our gravity team is young and inexperienced but we have tons of talent and even more important the want to make it happen. The rains had finally lifted but not until after almost 2 inches had fallen. This made for a typical Sugar Mountain DH. Our boys didn't fair well but both riders said they learned a ton and I know that feels so it was great to hear. The girls went a little better with Johanne Tuttle taking Silver on a slalom bike. Just wait til' she finds out what a DH rig can do.<br /><br />Saturday night was the infamous banquet dinner. Surprisingly this was the most mellow one I have ever been to. The guest speaker was to be Brent Brookwalter but without a PA system he opted out of yelling over the rowdy Collegiate crowd. Awards were given and National champions were crowned. The only real chaos of the night was when a window was broken out, later we found out it was just someone trying to moon the people inside the banquet that got a little to excited.<br /><br />Sunday was Slalom day. I built the Slalom track for this years race and I was really excited to see it raced on. We were all a little weary about how the track would hold up with all the rain we had earlier in the weekend. Practice was extended as it was cancelled on Saturday and the track seemed to be holding up. The racing was amazing and you never knew who was going to win until they crossed the finish line. Our boys qualied good in 2nd and 5th. Unfortunately Danny Ceasar #2 qualifier crashed out early and couldn't make up the differential in the second run. Dan Ennis ended up taking 3rd in Slalom which secured his 4th place overall omnium finish. Johanne Tuttle was the fastest womens qualifier in both division 1 and 2 and after some early mistakes ended up taking the win and also secured the womens omnium National Championship. It was a lot of fun to watch, but was more stressfull than any race I have raced for a long time.<br /><br />In the end Brevard College took 4th as a team and I see great things for them in the future. I was really worried about my decision to "stay and work" instead of "go and race" but it was a great weekend. I know coaching will be in my future at some point. Congrats to all of you that were at Collegiate Nats, that in its self is a hard task to accomplish. BC, thanks for letting me be apart of such a great thing.http://christopherherndon.blogspot.com/2008/10/collegiate-national-champs.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christopher Herndon)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922781242414776510.post-7340581639436640129Wed, 15 Oct 2008 03:23:00 +00002008-10-14T23:45:44.732-04:00dislocated shoulder!!!So last weekend I dislocated my shoulder. I was down in Clemson, SC helping out with the Brevard College Cycling team. I tried to scrub this jump that I had been over jumping. Something went wrong off the lip???? Still don't know what but it ended pretty bad with me hitting the edge of a bridge full on with my shoulder. My shoulder was out for about 15 minutes before I got someone to help me set it. It was by far the worst dislocation I have ever had. Pretty weird but it is the fastest recovery of all time. I already have full range of motion and it has only been 3 days. My bicep is really bruised and the muscles are really sore. Could of been a lot worse. I missed a lot of really big trees on the way to the bridge that I ended up hitting. When I did hit I knocked 4 boards off of it. If they hadn't gave way I would be in a lot worse shape. <div>Here is how it looks and the bruise is only getting worse.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257221438273242786" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-i3HqrsBSAI/SPVnC03YRqI/AAAAAAAAACg/AelkfArFHt8/s400/P1000367.JPG" border="0" /></div>http://christopherherndon.blogspot.com/2008/10/dislocated-shoulder.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christopher Herndon)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922781242414776510.post-7705948496453764020Tue, 14 Oct 2008 15:10:00 +00002008-10-14T11:46:34.688-04:00Slalom Track5 days later and the 2008 Collegiate National Mountain Bike dual slalom track is ready to go. Last you guys heard I was on my way to build another track. This new track is at Lees-McRae College. I started two Mondays ago and with the great help of head coach Brian Sheedy we had the machine work done in just 3 days, that is 3-12 hour days. Anyways I think the track turned out to be pretty fun. Here is the video.<br /><iframe allowFullScreen='true' webkitallowfullscreen='true' mozallowfullscreen='true' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dx9wFIPzsV3vxx0zctgmazu_hayslKNZOh9oNiM8xBEBmSsDw3ZM31xA4nQXUvNIS4h7aMlBzoMI_1E029SBQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' FRAMEBORDER='0' />http://christopherherndon.blogspot.com/2008/10/slalom-track.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christopher Herndon)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922781242414776510.post-4915907519505289543Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:56:00 +00002008-10-08T21:16:40.143-04:00Last MonthSo it's been a while and so much has happened. Here goes. Cole was here, soooo much fun, we played so hard. Brevard College home race...Worked about 50 hours the week leading up to the race. Building trail, race set-up, working the bugs out of the new slalom timing system, and all around chaos. The race went well, everyone seemed to love the tracks and other than a few minor issues the event was a huge success.<br /><br />Next, built a new bike('09 SX) which might be the most beautiful bike I have ever seen. Flew to Utah the next day for the second round of the Jeep 48straight series. Met teamate Cody Warren and new wrench Colin Bailey (that's right the same Colin you all know, just turned mechanic, and he is sick!!!) at the airport. Rode like a complete little girl on one of the burliest slalom tracks I have ever seen. Made the cut for the finals in 14th spot and got put out first round by the great Eric Carter.<br /><br />On to the long drive to Vegas. We were in Colin's truck and had so much stuff that we actually had to take our bikes apart and put them back in the boxes to make it fit. It took 5 tries but we finally made it work. I did leave out the part that it was a single cab Tacoma with a camper shell. No way 3 grown men could ride up front all the way to Vegas so we made a little cubby hole and well....Cody and I both took a 3.5 hour shift in it. You could barley roll over and some one had to push you by your feet to get into it, but hey it was an experience. Vegas was good, we were there for the trade show to sign some posters and just hang out. We rode lots of roller coasters went swimming and were just generally lazy, that is if you don't count the miles and miles of walking. Walking is just a bad way to get anywhere, it is so slowwwwwww! But with not much else to do we walked.<br /><br />Home for a day and then off to build a new slalom track, more on that to come!http://christopherherndon.blogspot.com/2008/10/last-month.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christopher Herndon)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922781242414776510.post-940045628147430810Mon, 15 Sep 2008 12:54:00 +00002008-09-15T09:14:50.289-04:00Back On The RoadIt is already time to hit the road again. I have had such a fun few weeks home. When Cole was staying with me here in NC we, built a ramp, fixed a pump track, road 3 different pump tracks, rode <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">dh</span> in the rain, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">dh</span> timed runs at 26West bike park, lake jumped(no back flips learned, we are lame), trail run in a downpour, tons of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">xc</span>, and just enjoyed being in one place long enough to unpack the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">ol</span>' <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">gear bag</span>.<br /><br />Cole left last Monday for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Schladming</span> and since I have played a lot less and worked a lot more, but it was good. All last week was spent preparing for the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Brevard</span> College home mountain bike race. With rain the weeks prior we still had a lot of trail to build as this was a new race venue. We must of set a record for how fast we were building trail, we barely got the loop finished before the rain set in again. Most of my Thursday and Friday were spent trying to get a new Dual Slalom timing system to work. I spent hours in radio shack and definitely made up for the last 10 years of my life of never going to that store at all, it felt liked I lived there. Down to the wire but at 4:45 Friday afternoon the system was done and WORKED!!!! The race started early Saturday morning with DH, then Short Track <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">XC</span>, and finally <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">DS</span>. I already had about 50 hours in by Friday and Saturday added another 14 to the total. It was a long stressful day but everyone seemed really happy with the race and it was nice to see some organization on the collegiate level. Sunday was <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">XC</span> and I was helping with the scoring, well.... I did a lot of cheering and some riding around on the quad but not much work. It was a pretty relaxing end to the weekend. I had so much fun as a collegiate racer and it is still great to be involved with it all.<br /><br />Well now it is time to hit the road, I leave out later this week for the second Jeep 48straight series race. We are headed to the Canyons in Park City, Utah. After the race we will head South to Vegas for the trade show and then home again. Once home there is rumor I might get to help build the Dual Slalom track for this years Collegiate National Championships. Hope it works out because that would be a fun project!http://christopherherndon.blogspot.com/2008/09/back-on-road.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christopher Herndon)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922781242414776510.post-2928204779969597249Mon, 01 Sep 2008 17:16:00 +00002008-09-01T13:24:22.441-04:00Sickest trophy EVER!!!!!!This is the handmade series overall trophy from Snowshoe. It is a really bad photo of it, and doesn't show much of the amazing detail that it has but hopefully you get the idea. It was based off the race series poster. The trees are holding the course tape and are watching the riders as they pass. Thanks to the guys at Snowshoe for the great series and for providing something for the series win that I will keep forever.<br /><br /> <br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241104401996804866" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="401" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-i3HqrsBSAI/SLwkr1_BcwI/AAAAAAAAACY/LL1e2EICOUc/s400/P1000343.JPG" width="300" border="0" />http://christopherherndon.blogspot.com/2008/09/sickest-trophy-ever.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christopher Herndon)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922781242414776510.post-4390122219903231767Mon, 01 Sep 2008 17:04:00 +00002008-09-01T13:10:24.513-04:00Snowshoe #3It was a great weekend of racing. So much fun having teammate Cole Bangert along. We started off the weekend with a little private coaching lesson on Friday with some of my good friends Matt and Ellen Adams. It was a lot of line selection and corner setup with an emphasis on body position. This was a great opportunity for me to really look at the track from all different angles. In the end it was a lot of fun working with them and they seemed to really race well on Sunday. <br /><br />Saturday we woke up to a really slick West Virginia style course. Lots of roots pointing every direction and slick mud covered rocks everywhere else. Practice was a blast and Cole opened my eyes to lines I have never seen in years of racing at SS. It is great to see someone else's perspective and be able to learn from them. I think we cranked out 7 practice runs before it was time to head to Slalom. After a few hour weather delay(thunder and lightning) we finally got started. Just as the Elite class started getting in the gate for qualies I heard a faint rumble of thunder and knew the race probably wasn't going to happen. Qualifying would be important as the final results would most likely go off of that. Sure enough just as the Elites finished qualies a weather delay was called in by the powers that be at the resort and the race was called off. Cole and I finished 1-2 and it was good to be able to go relax after a long day of DH runs. <br /><br />Sunday morning saw typical Snowshoe fog which cleared into a beautiful sunny day with light winds. The DH track was drying out fast but from experience I was sure the woods would still be slick. After a quick loop on the lift we saw perfect dry conditions on the open sections, but I still had my doubts on the woods. Cole was the second rider off as he was not in the point series and threw down a pretty sick pedal wheelie, getting dangerously close to the tape down the first straight. It lightened the mood and I think everyone was glad to have him at the race. I got to watch everyone leave the gate on there runs as I was leading the series and the last one to go down the mountain Sunday afternoon. I managed to keep my nerves pretty calm and I think it helped having Cole there as I knew one of us had a great chance of winning. It is a really cool thing we have with Team America, none of the teammates really care if another teamate beats them as long as no one else beats the team. Cole and I did most of our practice together and I knew it was going to be tough. Cole had been in the hot seat since the time he had crossed the line and I barely managed to knock him out of it. 1-2 again for Team America. Super stoked to have Cole out here racing some East Coast races preparing for the upcoming World Cup Finals in Austria. <br /><br />Snowshoe is a unique place, the racers are all so friendly and that is what makes it so great for me. It seems like it is it's own little world within racing and I am glad to be apart of all the fun that goes on there. To everyone that raced...It was fun and see you next year.http://christopherherndon.blogspot.com/2008/09/snowshoe-3.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christopher Herndon)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922781242414776510.post-3587184301479454020Fri, 22 Aug 2008 23:41:00 +00002008-08-22T19:45:48.796-04:00Home!!!Can't wait to be home for a little night pumptrack session in the back yard. <br /><br /><br /><div align="center">Here some of the Brevard College boys and the </div><div align="center">828 crew get a late night ride session in.<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-i3HqrsBSAI/SK9PCaxN0NI/AAAAAAAAACQ/fAQlNVuUR3s/s1600-h/P1000160.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237491794619257042" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-i3HqrsBSAI/SK9PCaxN0NI/AAAAAAAAACQ/fAQlNVuUR3s/s400/P1000160.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div>http://christopherherndon.blogspot.com/2008/08/home.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christopher Herndon)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922781242414776510.post-4131597977154000768Fri, 22 Aug 2008 23:16:00 +00002008-08-22T19:41:21.007-04:00Jersey!!!Hey Everybody, All I can say is I have been busy! After my crazy Colorado trip where more fun stuff happened at Cole's house post racing than I can even remember, I headed to Whistler BC for 10 days of riding and a whole bunch of racing. I raced yet again two slaloms while in Whistler, the first being regular slalom. It was anything but a regular slalom, This thing looked like a sculpture. I swear you could roll a basketball out of the gate and it could of made it down the track. Super smooth and just as the track was perfect, you had to be perfect to ride this track well. I qualified low in 16<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">th</span> place and by the time I advanced to the second round I was the only guy on a full suspension bike left. Well with Lopes being the number one qualifier it was time for me to race him once again. This time I finally came out on top and it felt good. I really wanted to go on for the win but with a few mistakes in the semi-final I found myself racing for 3rd against my teammate Cody Warren. The only consolation for not making the main was that one of my mistakes was turning to hard and dragging my handlebar in the dirt almost causing myself to crash.<br /><br /><br /><br />Next weekend we raced Giant Slalom which was a really long slalom with huge berms and jumps. The jumps were about 60% to small for the speed we were carrying. This made for a pretty scary combination of breaking and scrubbing off the lips of the jumps to try to keep from landing to flat or the uphill of the next jump. Again I qualified 16<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">th</span> and Lopes?? Again he was first. I advanced past Brendan <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Faircloth</span> in the first round, and then very next round Lopes again! I am starting to see a pattern. I really can't complain, it is the best experience I can ever get and I love the opportunity. I do need to start qualifying better though. Well Lopes got me, he was riding really well and had a super strong first straight.<br /><br /><br /><br />Finally the whole Jersey thing. Well this <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">weekend</span> I am at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Diablo</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Freeride</span> Park for the Jeep <a href="http://www.48straight.com/">48straight</a> race. Today was <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">qualies</span> and I got 11<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">th</span>, better than 16<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">th</span>, but still not what I am after. Tomorrow are the finals but you might just have to wait to find out the results of this one until it airs on CBS September 28. Hope all is well and we will see you at the races.http://christopherherndon.blogspot.com/2008/08/jersey.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christopher Herndon)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922781242414776510.post-2122114371630592035Mon, 11 Aug 2008 02:48:00 +00002008-08-10T22:52:07.046-04:00Slalom Video from CrankworksHere is a little slalom video from Crankworks, sick track. <a href="http://freecaster.tv/1000006_1005614">http://freecaster.tv/1000006_1005614</a>http://christopherherndon.blogspot.com/2008/08/slalom-video-from-crankworks.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christopher Herndon)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922781242414776510.post-1784120960693114714Sun, 10 Aug 2008 17:26:00 +00002008-08-10T13:28:59.259-04:00Slalom, Slalom, Slalom!!!This past week I have been out in Colorado staying with Cole <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Bangert</span> and his family. We arrived at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Crankworks</span> Colorado on Wednesday to find a really sick <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Slopestyle</span> track and what looked to be a fun slalom. Cole is recovering from a shoulder <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">separation</span> injury that occurred just before National Champs. He had decided it was finally time to try out some <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">xc</span> so we headed over to Sol Vista bike park. While there we had a great ride and also got the info that there would be a slalom race <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Saturday</span> night. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">XC</span> was fun and it was good to see Cole recovering so fast.<br /><br />Saturday was Slalom at Sol Vista. The guys over there put little time into building the track and it speaks volumes for how good they really are because the track was great. Saturday morning we had qualifying, then back to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Crankworks</span> to watch a little <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Slopestyle</span>, then finally some racing under the lights. I was riding really good and found myself in the finals with Brian Lopes. I took the first run and Lopes took the second with an advantage big enough to take the overall. It was a great night of racing and I really felt like the crowd was behind me.<br /><br />Sunday saw what felt like a really early morning of practice after the late night of racing at Sol Vista. Lopes and I met once again only this time it was in the Semi Finals which meant only one of us would make it to the finals. Brian took the first run and I took the second but not by enough. I ended up taking 3rd while Brian would take the win. It was a lot of fun and I feel like I am riding better than I ever have, a good feeling going into the next few weeks of racing. Look for a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Crankworks</span> slalom update soon!http://christopherherndon.blogspot.com/2008/08/slalom-slalom-slalom.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christopher Herndon)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922781242414776510.post-1930439928020968968Wed, 09 Jul 2008 18:47:00 +00002008-07-09T14:48:32.240-04:00Team America websiteHere is the link for our team website <a href="http://www.declineteamamerica.com/">www.declineteamamerica.com</a> . enjoyhttp://christopherherndon.blogspot.com/2008/07/team-america-website.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christopher Herndon)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922781242414776510.post-5733447583008027260Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:18:00 +00002008-12-09T08:54:07.491-05:00Colorado with the BangertsHey everyone, I am out in CO getting ready for the Mountain States Cup at Snowmass. Cole picked me up on Monday and we have been pinned ever since. Here are some pics from the trip so far. <div><div><br /><div></div><br /><div>The Yeti boys invited us over to ride their new dirt jumps, here Blenkinsop noses in hard<br /></div><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221051023483303554" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-i3HqrsBSAI/SHTmPljpdoI/AAAAAAAAABo/omRO1VOS1EY/s400/P1000316.JPG" border="0" /></div></div><br /><br /><div>This is the start of Cole's DH track we went here to ride after building bikes in the Best Buy parking lot.</div><br /><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221062597307711970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-i3HqrsBSAI/SHTwxRaaweI/AAAAAAAAAB4/arf-MGztgzs/s400/P1000305.JPG" border="0" /></p><br /><p>Timmy whipping the last set</p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221063622795961026" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-i3HqrsBSAI/SHTxs9p3osI/AAAAAAAAACA/r6TickTKJtg/s400/P1000318.JPG" border="0" /></p></div><br /><p>Aaron Gwin is the master mind behind these jumps and he has done an amazing job. There are some many lines going every different directions, hard to see from this pic but it is amazing.</p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221064396769459794" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-i3HqrsBSAI/SHTyaA7h_lI/AAAAAAAAACI/FzBjBatCncs/s400/P1000324.JPG" border="0" /></p>http://christopherherndon.blogspot.com/2008/07/colorado-with-bangerts.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christopher Herndon)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922781242414776510.post-536127003911562828Mon, 07 Jul 2008 00:34:00 +00002008-12-09T08:54:07.909-05:00On the road again<div>So tomorrow I fly out for the Snowmass Mountain States Cup. Teammate Cole Bangert is going to pick me up in the morning. Tim Price is also flying in, another East Coast ripper and Cole will be accompanied by Jonty Netherling, the younger of the two South African brothers. We are going to head straight to Colorado Springs to do some DH runs and then up to Cole's parents house in Twin Lakes. For those of you that have heard me talk about Cole's parents house you know it is a dreamland. We always have so much fun there. Hopefully I can lay down the bike for a minute and give you guys an update. Until then here are a few pics.<br /></div><div align="center"></div><div><br /></div><div align="center">Here is Cole's place in the winter,</div><div align="center">the pic is titled "Cole is an Idiot"</div><div align="center">in my computer.</div><div><br /></div><div align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220066063221844450" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-i3HqrsBSAI/SHFmbWpo6eI/AAAAAAAAABY/ei2cJXSmO5k/s400/cole+is+an+idiot.jpg" border="0" />This is why I never have time to update my blog...</div><div align="center">We are always "Training" or playing on a log</div><div align="center">in our camp site however you like to look at it.</div><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220067135905778194" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="301" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-i3HqrsBSAI/SHFnZytayhI/AAAAAAAAABg/H_e4MrlfCcY/s400/P1000057.JPG" width="400" border="0" /></p>http://christopherherndon.blogspot.com/2008/07/on-road-again.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christopher Herndon)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922781242414776510.post-8814745395395539443Sat, 14 Jun 2008 01:35:00 +00002008-12-09T08:54:08.412-05:00It's been a whileHey everybody, been quite some time now. I have no excuses, just plain laziness. Well a lot has happened. Once back from the Open, I went straight into finishing up the new DS and DH tracks at Headwaters Outfitters Adventure Village here in Brevard, NC. It was a big push to get them done before the skills clinic Joe Haley and myself put on last weekend. Well the tracks were just barely finished when everyone started showing up Saturday morning, but it was worth all the work. Thanks for everyone that came out, we had a blast riding. I hope everyone enjoyed it and that you will all come back and ride some more. Big thanks to David Whitmire for giving us the opportunity for what I think is a great track. I have been promising for ever so here are some pics.<br /><div><div><div align="center">Matt, Jeremy, and myself</div><div align="center">post Massenutten</div><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5211547538036968898" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="301" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-i3HqrsBSAI/SFMi37bBTcI/AAAAAAAAABA/ho8NAMYWmWk/s400/P1000173.JPG" width="400" border="0" /></div></div></div><br /><p align="center">Who ever thought getting into Canada would be harder than getting into the states once at the front of the line it took us another hour and a half to actually get into the country!</p><p align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5211548333593724546" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-i3HqrsBSAI/SFMjmPGiBoI/AAAAAAAAABI/Ct__avfJCko/s400/P1000191.JPG" border="0" /></p><br /><p align="center">Geritt with the big "W" in Canuck land</p><p align="center"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5211549580096754258" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_-i3HqrsBSAI/SFMkuysA0lI/AAAAAAAAABQ/aV-CUX8C-Dg/s400/P1000271.JPG" border="0" /></p>http://christopherherndon.blogspot.com/2008/06/its-been-while.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christopher Herndon)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922781242414776510.post-6640680951742949715Thu, 29 May 2008 14:46:00 +00002008-05-29T11:01:31.129-04:00US OpenSo I am already home at this point and boy it has been a whirlwind of a trip. DC was great, it was an amazing and very motivating trip. A lot of driving though. We got back to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Diablo</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Freeride</span> Park Thursday evening and had to get ready to race again. We setup the trailer, and worked on bikes until well after dark. After trailer setup we manged to walk the track just before dark. It was pretty much the same with a few small changes that made it ride a lot better. Friday was a practice day for DH and slalom and also was slalom qualifying. I qualified 1st in slalom which is a first for me at a big event. Saturday we qualified for DH and I took 17<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">th</span>. That evening we raced slalom and after many delays from the DH qualifying we ran out of daylight. The ski lights came on and it was on with the show. I was riding good but had a hard go with the lighting just between sunset and fully dark. Everyone had a hard time with it. I made some big mistakes and missed making it to the next round by .18 of a second. Very frustrated with myself but it was still cool to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">quali</span> first. Sunday was DH, and the track got really fast and really rough. It is amazing what 550 racers can do to a track when they ride it non stop. I had a good race run with some really fast sections, but I just didn't link things together how I needed to. I ended up 16<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">th</span> and 5 seconds off of 5<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">th</span>. I was again great time on the bike and I really feel like things are coming around. Sunday night we headed to the Red Bull <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">after party</span> and Sharp Shooters finals. This was a contest for the photographers with an all expense paid trip to a Red Bull event on the line. Well lets just say you will be seeing the shots soon and the winner is a beauty. Monday was the long drive home, and boy it is good to be home. This weekend I will be in Raleigh for the grand opening and fundraiser at a new city bike park. Pictures, pictures, pictures, I know I will try to get some.http://christopherherndon.blogspot.com/2008/05/us-open.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christopher Herndon)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922781242414776510.post-8887280682534689991Wed, 21 May 2008 00:42:00 +00002008-05-20T21:05:09.780-04:00Oh CanadaHey Everybody, it's been a while since I last wrote and since then I have put a few thousand miles on my truck. I left last Tuesday headed towards Canada. Along the way I stopped to see some friends in Virginia and New York. Wednesday we picked up teammate Curtis Keene in Newark NJ. He was fresh back to the states from the first World Cup in Slovenia. Thursday we picked up "The Kid" teammate Andy Becker in Albany NY. Friday morning we were up early and on our way to Canada. The border crossing was fun as always, we got held for awhile because of the kid. Apparently if you are a 15 year old from California trying to cross into French Canada with a bunch of people that don't share a common last name it throws up a few red flags, who knew? Anyways we were finally to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Bromont</span>, where we realized that there was a practice going on that was not on the schedule. We grabbed the bikes and started to ride one of the most fun tracks of all time. This track will be used at the World Cup race later in the year. This race was a Canada Cup, which is their national series. Saturday practice was 9 am to 5 pm which has to be the best practice schedule ever, so many runs. Sunday we raced and it was super fun. I got pretty sick while in Canada and didn't have the best race but it was great time on the bike and my bike finally feels like "my bike". Curtis took 4th and good friend Geritt took the win, he was pinned all week and I was excited to see him on top. I am looking forward to the US open this coming weekend in New Jersey. Currently we are in Washington DC checking out the sites and waiting for the rest of the team to arrive for a photo shoot. TEAM AMERICA!!!!!!! ____ yeah!http://christopherherndon.blogspot.com/2008/05/oh-canada.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christopher Herndon)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922781242414776510.post-1991146236921543578Wed, 07 May 2008 15:05:00 +00002008-12-09T08:54:08.751-05:00Asheville Pump Track<div align="left">Just when I got back in town there was a pump track party in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Asheville</span>. It was a ton of fun with lots of kids, big and small alike. Here are some pics Robert Seth of Kinetic-Images.com took of one of the bigger kids having some fun.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="center">This is trying to double out of an over 90 degree berm. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Geritt</span> tried it and this is my first attempt.</div><div align="left"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5197653216146581762" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-i3HqrsBSAI/SCHGD84VaQI/AAAAAAAAAAw/Sqr9y5A3mY8/s400/ashevill+PT+2.jpg" border="0" /></div><p align="center">There has been some grumbling that I never crash, quite the opposite this year. Here is proof of what happens when you push just a little to hard. believe it or not I was actually headed the same direction as in the picture above.</p><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5197653886161479954" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_-i3HqrsBSAI/SCHGq84VaRI/AAAAAAAAAA4/jwwSZwv_W1c/s400/asheville+PT.jpg" border="0" /></p>http://christopherherndon.blogspot.com/2008/05/asheville-pump-track.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christopher Herndon)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7922781242414776510.post-4568473234282275786Wed, 07 May 2008 14:56:00 +00002008-05-07T11:05:54.153-04:00Sunday Super DSo Sunday we raced super D at the king of the lake race. It is a really fun track with about one minute of pedaling up top and two minutes of fun at the bottom. It was a beautiful day and after Saturday hard to get motivated to head up the hill for practice. Wes and I lounged for a couple hours in the sun before we ever thought about riding our bikes. Once on the hill I realized just how tired I was from the day before. I did almost 2 full practice runs and called it good. Time to lounge in the sun some more. Finally we headed up to race. I had a pretty good run and found myself sitting in first with a few second buffer over Andy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Devault</span>. We pedaled around to cool down together and both quickly realized how much the other didn't want to have to do another run (it was a best of two run format). A quick <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">gentleman's</span> handshake later and we were on our way into the woods to do some spectating and cheering. Well it worked out for both of us, as no one was able to best our times. Another great day of racing and big thanks to everyone who made it happen. Pictures are up at Kinetic.images.com under event coverage.http://christopherherndon.blogspot.com/2008/05/sunday-super-d.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Christopher Herndon)0